
A DRAMA IN ONE ACT 

by Clarence F, Hoke 







Price 25 cents 



THE 



BURGLAR 




A DRAMA IN ONE ACT 

by Clarence F, Hoke 






Copyright, 1916, by Clarence F. Hoke 



mBBimmmmmmmmm 






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10 4 3348 

MAR I4I9I6 



The Burglar 



A Drama in One Act. 
iBy Clarence P. Hoke. 



CHARACTERiS. 



DOROTHY Little Lady of the House 

JIM "THE BURGLAR" 

MARGARET Dorothy's Mama 

scene — Living room. Fireplace center L. 
Switch for lights, R. of fireplace. Door lower 
R., window center flat. Sofa along right wall 
Big leather chair ito the left front of fireplace, 
back toward window. Table in center, not far 
from leather chair. Othsr chairs and anything' 
else to make room look comforitable. 

Time — Early evening, after dark, in winter. 
Fire in fireplace, window shade drawn. 

At ris'e of curtain, lights are all off. The 
only light in the room is from the fire in the 
fireplace. Dorothy, five-year-old girl, is seen 
sitting on ithe floor, in front of leaJther chair, 
with light of fir'e shining on her. Dorothy 
playing with doll. 

DOROTHY. 

(To doll, trying to make it sit up.) Sit up 

there, I tell you. (Doll falls over.) Are 

you going to mind me or not? (Tries again, 

with same result.) Mary Jane, you're a bad 

girl. Don't you know mama has something else 

tc do 'besides fooling with you? (Again doll 

refuses ito sit up.) I'm going to give you a 



good spanking! (Spanks doll.) Now, will 

you sit up? (Tries again, but doll falls over. 

Sighs fretfully.) Oh, dear! It's no wonder 

we mamas go crazy! What are we going to do 

with girls like you? (Sits doll against table 

leg.) There, now, I g'uess you'll sit up. Now, 

I'll see if I can have some peace. (Begins to 

work on doll clothes.) 

(Window raises and masked burglar enters 
from 'behind curtain, with flash light in his 
hand. Dorothy is so busy with doll clothes, 
that she does not hear burglar. He moves 
around room softly, flashing light as he does 
so. He does not see Doro'thy. As light flashes 
near Dorothy, she sees it and watches it in 
silence, wondering what it is. As light travels 
over to the other side of the room, she sees 
the burglar, not knowing who he is. In her 
innocence, she is not afraid, and jumps up 
quietly, stands and looks at him for a minute 
and th'en goes to light switch and turns on the 
lights. Burglar jumps 'back, startled at seeing 
the lights.) 

DOROTHY. 

What's the matter? Couldn't you find the 

switch? There It is. (Pointing to switch 

she has just turned.) 

JIM, 

The devil! Caught in my first game! And 

by a baby, too! This is tough! (Stands still, 

wondering what to do.) 

DOROTHY. 

(Bursts into laughter.) ^My, how funny you 

look. You're the funniest looking man I ever 
saw. What have you got that thing on your 

face for? (Pointing at mask.) 

JIM. 

This is no place for me. (Starts toward 



window, with intention of going.) 
DOROTHY. 

(Runs up and grasps his hands.) ^Oh, don't 

go! Come on and keep me company until 

mama comes. I'm lonesome. (Jim wants to 

go, but her sweet innocence holds him and he 

stops and stares at her.) ^Please stay. No 

one will hurt you. There's only Mary Jane 
and me. 

JIM. 

Who's Mary Jane? 

DOROTHY. 

My dolly. She's right over there. Now please 
don't go. Come over here and sit down like a 

good man. (Pulls him over toward sofa.)— — 

There! Now I'll get Mary Jane and show her 

to you.- (Gets doll and comes back, sitting 

beside Jim.) Isn'it she pretty? (Soberly.) 

^But she's a,wfully naughty. I had to give 

her a good spanking a little while ago. I'm her 
mama, and she won't mind me a bit, 
JIM. 



awful time with 



How many babies 

DOROTHY. 

She's the only one. (Sighs.) ^^I don't 

know what I'd do if I had any more, if they 
all acted like she does. (Looks at doll re- 
proachfully.) 

JIM. 
'Maybe she's spoiled. 

DOROTHY. 
If she is, I don't know who's done it. I'm 
sure I haven't. There isn't a day of her life 



She 


won' 


t? 




DOROTHY. 


No, 
her. 


she 


won't! 


I have an 








JIM. 


We 


U, now; 


that' 


's too 'bad! 


have 


you? 









that I don't have to spank her. And even then 
she won't mind. If anybody else has spoiled 
her. I'd like .to know who it is. I'd give them 
a ipiece of my mind. 

JIM. 
That would be awful, wouldn't it? 

DOROTHY. 
I'd make them think it was awful. I'm 
spunky when I get started. 

JIM. 
Well, if- that's the case, I think I will go 

before you get started now. (Starts to rise.) 

DOROTHY. 
(Quickly laying doll beside her and catch- 
ing hold of him with both hands.) No, no; I 

don't want you to go. I like you. Take your 

hat off like a nice man. (Takes his hat off 

and lays it on the table as she speaks.) 

Now, stay and talk to me until mama comes. 
She's an awfully good mama, and I want you 
to meet her. 

JIM. 
That woud never do. (IStarts again to go.) 

DOROTHY. 

(Hanging- on to him.) ^Why wouldn't it? 

JIM. 
Because your mama wouldn't like me at all. 
She'd be awfully mad if she knew I was here. 
DOROTHY. 
No, she wouldn't either. And she would like 
you, too, especially if you had that dirty old 

thing off of your face. (Reaches up and 

snatches mask off of his face before he can 
prevent her, and throws it across the room as 
far as she can, then snuggles up to him. 
JIM. 

Now, you've done it. (Sits back dejectedly.) 

DOROTHY. 
(With a little pout.) — I don't care if I have. 



I don'.t like that thing. Nice men don't wear 
that kind of things. 

JIM. 
How do you know I'm a nice man? 

DOROTHY. 
Because if you weren't a nice man, you 
wouldn't sit here and talk to me. 
JIM, 
Oh, I like to talk to nice little girls like you. 
What is this little girl's name? 
DOROTHY. 
Dorothy is my name. 

JIM. 
Dorothy. (Looks ahead as if in medita- 
tion, then to her.) That's a pretty name. I 

wish I had a little Dorothy like you. 
DOROTHY. 
Why, haven't you any little girls? 
JIM. 

(Sadly.) No. 

DOROTHY. 
No little boys, either? 

JIM. 
No, Dorothy; no little girls, and no little 

boys. I haven't even a home. (Looks 

away, again, meditating.) 

DOROTHY. 
(Looks up into his face, then snuggles closer 

to him.) Don't be sad. God loves you. God 

will give yau a home. 

JIM, 

CStill looking away.) No, Dorothy; God 

doesn't love a man like me. Maybe he would 

if I had done differently. 

DOROTHY. 
Yes, He does. God does love you. God loves 
everybody. What makes you so sad? 
JIM. 
I was thinking; that's all. (Looks down at 



Dorothy.) 1 was thinking- that I might have 

had a nice little girl like you if I had behaved 

myself. ('Bows his head and gazes at the 

floor.) 

DOROTHY. 

(Looking at him earnestly.) What do you 

mean? You're not a toad man. 

JIM. 

Oh, yes I am. (iSadly.) 1 had a good 

home once, and a sweet wife, but 1 left 

them. That was a long time ago. If I'd been 
good, I'd be happy now, and maybe I'd have a 
dear little girl like you to love me. 

DOROTHY. 
Are yoa sorry now? 

JIM. 

Yes, I'm sorry now. 

DOROTHY. 
Why don't you try to find your wife? 

JIM. 
No; I tried once, but nobody knew where she 

was; so I have up hope and quit. 

DOROTHY. 
Oh, but you mustn't do that. You'll find her 
some day. 

JIM. 
It won't do any good. If I did find her, she 
wouldn't have anything to do with me now. 

I've been a bad man. (Keeps his eyes on the 

floor. Dorothy looks at him appealing-ly.) 

DOROTHY. 

(Trying" to soothe him.) Somebody likes 

you. I like you. Even if you were a bad man 
once, you're not bad now. And God loves you. 
He will help you. To-night, when I say my 
prayers, I'll ask him to. And I'll ask my mama 
to pray for you, too. Now don't be sad any 
more. 



JIM. 
(Grasping Dorothy in both arms to his side.) 
— Oh, you sweet little girl! God bless you! 



-(Hold position for a few moments.) 



(Enter Margaret, door lower R. Comes on 
line with sofa and stands looking at Jim and 
Dorothy. Jim does not hear her.) 
DOROlx^Y. 

(As she sees Margaret.) ^Oh, mama! 

JIM. 

(Looks up quickly, recognizing her.) 

Margaret! (Jumps up from sofa, stepping 

back a few paces.) 

MARGARET. 

(As she recognizes him.) Jim! (Steps 

back a pace in astonishment.) You here! 

JIM. 

(With bowed head.) 1 didn't ^know 1 

was in your home. I don't 'belong 

here. I'm not good enough for you 

to speak to me now. 

DOROTHY. 
(Running up to him and hugging his right 

arm.) Yes, he is, mama. He's a nice man. 

The only thing I didn't like a'bout him was 

(goes and picks up mask) he had this dirty 

old thing on his face, and I tore it off. He 
can't have it any more, either. (Goes to fire- 
place and throws it in, disgustedly.) There! 

That'll fix that old thing. (Stands by fire 

and watches Jim.) 

MARGARET. 

(Reproachfully.) Jim; can it be that you, 

my husband, have turned burglar? 
. JIM. 
Ever since I left you, I've been up against it. 
Out of work. Why, I almost starved some- 
times. I traveled from town to town. I went 



to where we lived and tried to fin.d you to 

see if you would forgive me — — ibut no one 

knew where you were. At last I came here 

with nothing. I can't find work and I'm 
destitute. . I made up my mind to turn burglar 
to-day. Even if I was caught, it would be 
better than to live the way I have. This was 
the first house I tried. I climbed in at the 

window, but she (pointing to Dorothy) 

she held me. 

MARG-ARET. 
Thank God she did, Jim. I'd hate to know 
that my husband was a burglar. 

JIM. 

Is she your little girl? 

MARGARET. 
Yes, Jim; she is our little girl. 
JIM. 

Ours? Yours and mine? 

MARGARET. 
Yes, she's yours and mine. She was born a 
few months after you left. 

JIM. 

And I'm still your husiband? 

MARGARET, 
Yes, Jim. I had hoped you would come back 
some day. 

JIM. 

Then you've ^waited for me all these 

years? 

MARGARET. 
Yes, I've waited for you. 
JIM. 

(With bowed head.) But I'm not 

worthy of you now. 

MARGARET. 

You can make yourself worthy. 

JIM. 
(With arms outstretched.) Then you'll 



forg-ive me? 

MARGARET. 

(Going up to him.) Yes, I'll forgive you. 

I want you, and Dorothy needs you. 

JIM. 

(Clasping Margaret in his arms.) 1 will 

make myself worthy. 

DOROTHY. 
(Running around table and uip to Jim, clap- 
ping her hands.) Oh, I have a papa! 

JIM. 
(Loosens his embrace on Margaret and picks 

up Dorothy, hugging her.) ^God bless my 

little girl! Yes, Dorothy; God does love me! 
CURTAIN. 



(For curtain call, Jim is seated in leather 
chair before fire, Margaret seated on arm of 
chair with her arm around Jim's neck, and 
Dorothy, on Jim's lap, is going through actions 
of telling him lots of things.) 

♦ o^o ^ 




Wilbur-Cooper g^^^^^ 1016 K and L 



